THE SPRINGBOKS IN ACTION.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXI, 10 August 1921, Page 3

THE SPRINGBOKS IN ACTION.

A CRITICAL SURVEY. IMPRESSIONS OF A VETERAN. A well-known veteran player wrote as follows in a Christchurch.paper:— As the last of the big crowd came into Lancaster Park on Saturday. I met Mr S. F. Wilson, president of the local Rugby Union. Knowing he had seen the-visitors play in Wellington, I asked what chance the local side possessed. The popular “ Sam,” who, by the way, is no mean judge, greatly surprised me by stating: “ Our fellows will just about beat them. The local pack is better than Wellington’s.”

The game had not been in progress very long before it commenced to dawn upon a lot of the experts that Mr Wilson’s contention might be right, although previous to the kick-off not one person in a thousand gave the local men a look-in in the final result. The general impression was that the .game would be twenty points_in favour of the visitors.

When the Springboks walked through the gate on to the playing area behind the local side, they looked a splendid body of men, although a few appeared too big to play fast, up-to-date football. They had not been in action for a quarter of an hour before it was apparent that whilst they might prove a difficult side to beat they possessed no terrors for their opponents.

It took a little time to discover their style and system, but after watching some combined play it appears that the visitors can be described as handpassing forwards. I should consider that there is no pack in the Dominion that could shift them in massed formation in the pack, but with this advantage they do not attempt to use it to their advantage. A gradual breaking uf> follows, and before the scrummage becomes completely broken, but reaches the stage known as the ruck, the big visiting forwards pick up and attempt quick hand passing, most of which, by the way, was forward. If this gives an opening a throw-out to expectant backs is the method used to set the game in fast motion. There was nothing else attempted all the afternoon except towards the end of the game, when the forwards tried to initiate footwork in the pack. They had expended all their energy, and the effort was only partially successful.

I could not discover any set method of forward packing. At times there were two in the front, at other times four. When the latter was in operation it was usually used to enable the “ loose head ” to be tried, which was such a feature of . Harding’s English team. Taking the side and weight of the Springboks’ pack into consideration, a well organised and drilled scrummage could have controlled the game, and if two expert hookers were with them their backs could have had a harvest of play. But the visitors* pack seemed to be just a lot of big men thrown together without any set method or methods to combat opposition. It looks as though, coached o:i New Zealand lines, they would have been invincible at the base of all attack.

Tho ground and conditions were not favourable to their style, yet no attempt was made to alter it, leading one to imagine that they knew only one way to work.

On the line-out they did fine work, their height and bulk being most useful. But even at this the slow threw back from the lino to backs to kick into touch is almost obsolete in best football teams. It was when the forwards got away from the ruck that their work was least impressive. They followed up well, but without much combination, and there was a hesitancy, when they had opponents in trouble, as to what to do and the delay was fatal. The forwards’ attempts at passing, once away from the short hand pass, were very poor. The player in possession usually stood still, faced the acceptor, and with both hands threw the ball high in the air towards him. The quick, nippy two or three yard pass, with all the pack moving in unison, and racing at lop speed, such a feature of New Zealnipl brilliant forward work, was never seen.

Neither backs nor forwards bad any idea of how to stop a fast dribbling forward rush. This line was the chief goods displayed by the Canterbury side on Saturday. It was the only game to play under the conditions. Incidentally, I doubt if the Canterbury side could have played any other under ai< circumstances. The attempts to stop it by the visitors, both back and front, were very feeble. It seemed ns though they had never seen it on a football "c”. With " forwards making u

effort to stop it, the whole of the backs failed also—it was too much for them.

The visiting forwards tackled brilliantly. They made no mistake about their man when they got him—he went on the ground good and hard —yet throughout the day 1 failed to notice any sign of rough or foul play. The visitors played the game as it should be played—hard and solid without any beg pardons. Like the forwards, the backs looked a fine lot. That they had speed was early apparent. Expert fielders, too, they were—both in the air and on the ground. Good kickers were in plenty, and also, like their front division comrades, they could tackle. If one was asked the outstanding feature of the whole side’s work, it would be their deadly tackling. But in action the rearguard were not an impressive lot, and on very few occasions did the forwards heel out. When the ball came out, once or twice the half passed usually to the three-quarter, on the blind side, who promptly kicked, and rarely into touch, when outside their own twenty-five. The backs only use the touch-line when hard on defence. The chief work behind was when the half got the ball. He ran a few yards and short-passed to his breaking up pack, with the hope of success through the centre. Once or twice during the game some passing as it is known in New Zealad was attempted—that is from pack to three-quarter line. It was most orthodox, and therefore easily frustrated. One bout in particular started not far from the eastern touchline and travelled through about five hands, the last player going into touch on the other side—a sixty yards’ effort that did not gain five yards, and tired the heavy forwards on the holding ground.

The whole art of modern Rugby football is to do something that is not expected by the opposition. At this standard the visitors showed nothing new; in fact, their style of play was discounted many years ago. At the same time they looked a likely side; especially the back division. Properly coached in modern methods they would be tough propositions for any side to tackle.

It has been proved that extra big and heavy forwards tire too soon, and unless used solely for securing possession to set fast backs in motion are not the best for good football. The 13st man, fast, active, and with sufficient knowledge of the game to be able to do his work in the pack, and when occasion arises take part in the passing work with the backs, is a far more useful man to his side than the big heavy mdn who can only push and do line-out work. The famous All Black side that toured England proved this contention to be Correct.

Watching the game olio could not but admire the visitors’ demeanour on the field. They are a fine lot of sportsmen. Working hard in a strenuous game, with defeat staring them in the face for the last quarter of an hour, there was never a semblance of tackling or anything to which any exception could be taken. They played hard football, made mistakes, were penalised, but went on their way unperturbed. They are certain to make themselves very popular during their tour through the Dominion.

1 am inclined to think that their tour will do the side a lot of good, and be the means of introducing several New Zealand methods into .their own country when they return home.

The showing of the visitors surprised me, but I do not know what to think about the local side. It is acknowledged that Canterbury has a useful pack of forwards this season, but by no stretch of imagination can the rearguard bo classed as up to provincial standard. Yet the whole side played good football. Possibly knowing they were up against a side that was considered immensely superior they decided to rise to the occasion. Several rose a good deal above it. The forwards moved as one man in a style worthy of the best. Adopting the right game—fast, loose footwork—they kept it going all the time, and even when conditions became worse towards the end of the game they altered their style to suit, and kicked hardest. I thought tho continuous scrum work against the heavy opposing pack would wear them out, but they got away from tho heavy work in the scrum as quickly as possible and gave the visitors an afternoon of tackling one of the hardest propositions in Rugby football, viz., stopping fast forward rushes. And the whole pack tackled like demons. Occasionally a grab at the elusive neck was attempted, but a howl from the spectators, “Go low,” brought about better work.

Early in the game-a few attempts at passing were made by the local backs, but they were abortive, and were soon discarded. Tho backs .showed no combination except in defence, and here some fine work was done. The kicking was better directed than that of their opponents, and usually more ground was gained. The side thoroughly deserved its win. Mr Simpson, of Wellington, controlled th", ■"aaio, hut his work was not iiapresri-c He slowed the game ,ar too niiu.li: by aiuOiiu;: extraordinary

latitude to players tackled with the ball. Time after time half a dozen

players would tackle an opponent with the ball, but the solitary one was allowed to retain possession till others arrived to help him. Another bad feature of this official’s work was his utter failure to grasp the potentialities of the advantage rule. When the final score of the game was made he was so far away that the delay in his decision caused many anxious moments to all.

A feature of Springbok football is tho alleged speed of some of the backs, writes a contributor to the “ Star.” Ono hears of outrageous depredations being made on accepted records for various distances, and visions of speedy men among Maoriland footballers looking as though they are running in the opposite direction to the Springbok backs they are chasing, have caused selectors sleepless nights. The bubble was effectively exploded on Saturday in Cathedral Square. A Springbok flier was standing by the verandah post outside the door of the United Service Hotel, and a diminutive telegraph message boy starting from the money order entrance to the post office building, gave him two chains start and caught him before he reached the hotel door—five yards away from where he started. It is quite the thing to quote weights, ages and “ times ” of the redoubtable visitors on every possible occasion, and so the winner in this speed duel can be recorded as aged 141, weight sst lib, height 4ft 9|in. The Springbok to whom this prodigy of speed gave away two chains in five yards and beat him was one of the flying three-quarters, and the, boy was after his autograph—and got it.